1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly to a method of and system for managing conference calls.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conference calls provide a popular and convenient way in which to hold meetings. Rather than meeting in person, conference call participant attend the meeting by telephone. Conference calls allow participants to participate in meetings virtually anywhere in the world.
One way of establishing a conference call is by means of a conference bridge. Conference call invitees are given a telephone number to reach the bridge and an access code that identifies the conference. The conference bridge conferences together the callers who have called into the conference and performs some conference call management functions. The conference call management functions performed by the conference bridge typically are limited to receiving calls at the beginning of the conference, conferencing together the participants, and terminating call at the end of the conference.
Current conference call systems lack some of the advantages of face-to-face meetings. Since the participants cannot see each other, they do not receive visual cues that aid in controlling face-to-face meetings. For example, participants do not know when another participant is going to start speaking. Also, participants cannot signal the moderator their desire to speak and the moderator cannot recognize a participant as a next speaker.